Social Withdrawal Subtypes during Early Adolescence in India

Abstract

The overarching goal of this study was to examine the associations between three social withdrawal subtypes (shyness, unsociability, avoidance), peer isolation, peer difficulties (victimization, rejection, exclusion, low acceptance), and loneliness in India during early adolescence. Participants were 194 adolescents in Surat, India (M age = 13.35 years). Peer nominations of peer relations and socioemotional behaviors were gathered, along with self-reports of reasons for being alone and loneliness. Preliminary evidence of validity for the self-report measure of withdrawal subtypes and isolation was found, and factor analyses indicated that shyness, unsociability, and avoidance represent related, but distinct forms of withdrawal that are distinct from isolation. Shyness and avoidance were uniquely associated with loneliness and exclusion, but unsociability was not. The association between avoidance and loneliness was mediated by exclusion. Findings suggest that social withdrawal may be best conceptualized as a multifaceted construct during childhood and adolescence, in Western and non-Western societies.

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Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge Craig Colder, Rob Coplan, Larry Nelson, and Len Simms for their helpful comments on an earlier version of this manuscript, and the students, principals, and teachers who participated in this study.

Appendix

Child Social Preference Scale-Revised

Peer isolation items

I want to play with others but often they don’t want to play with me.

I wish I could spend more time with other kids, but they don’t let me.

I’d like to hang out with other kids, but I’m often excluded.

Sometimes kids don’t want me to hang out with them.

Unsociability items

I don’t really mind spending time alone.

I like spending time alone more than I like spending time with other kids.

I don’t really like being with other kids and prefer being alone.

I don’t have a strong need to be with other kids.

Avoidance items

I am the happiest when I am playing with other kids. (reversed)

When given the choice, I prefer to play with other kids than to play alone. (reversed)

When given the choice, I always choose to play by myself because I don’t like playing with others.

Shyness items

Although I desire to be with other kids, I feel nervous about interacting with them.

Sometimes I turn down chances to hang out with other kids because I feel too shy.

Kim, J., Rapee, R., Oh, K., & Moon, H. (2008). Retrospective report of social withdrawal during adolescence and current maladjustment in young adulthood: cross-cultural comparisons between Australian and South Korean students. Journal of Adolescence, 31, 543–563.CrossRefPubMedGoogle Scholar